Yours to Keep
by princessphilomena
Summary: "What's yours will always be yours to keep. And nothing can ever change that." From the moment they met when they were little, they were meant to be together. And nothing could ever tear them apart after that. Diego x Mia
1. Prologue

**Author's Notes**

I've had this idea in the back of my mind for a while. The idea for the first chapter was something I wrote down a year ago, and when I came up with this story recently, I thought, "Hey! I could just plug Diego and Mia right into my two protagonists! That totally works!"

Yes, I'm easily excitable.

Um...okay, let's get some housekeeping out of the way. First off, **Trials and Tribulations** **spoilers **are up ahead in future chapters. I'm also crossing my fingers that we never heard anything mentioned about Diego's family. (Right? _Right?_) And I should point out that this is my first multi-chaptered story I'm posting up without writing it all first. (Well, technically, there's _Constellations_, but those are all individual long/one-shots). And if you know me, you'll know that I can take a while to update XD I have a general direction towards which I'm headed, but commentary from you guys along the way might change that.

Oh yes. And please review? Don't kill my enthusiasm in writing a new story!

* * *

**Prologue**

Boys don't cry.

Not when they have to grow up without ever meeting their father. Not when they're picked on and made fun of because their family is poor. And certainly not when their older sister dies.

At least that's what he told himself.

But like with most boys, things got to a point where he just couldn't handle it anymore. He thought he could run and hide from the truth, but he soon learned that it followed him everywhere and haunted him.

Still, he refused to cry, shutting his emotions inside of him. His mother found him on his bed one night, arms around his knees, hands balled into fists.

"Diego," she whispered tearfully, her heart already snapped into two pieces.

He gave no response, only continuing to stare straight ahead. She stroked her son's hair and pulled him into a tight hug.

"I know you miss Isadora," her voice broke at her daughter's name. "I do too. You can't imagine how much. But no matter how much we try to avoid that truth, Izzy's still not coming back." Her voice faltered, but she made herself continue. "I know you want to be strong for me, but cry if it makes you feel better."

Diego shook his head stubbornly, causing another pang in his mother's heart. She felt helpless, unable to reach him through his sadness. But she could understand why. Had it been any time before, Isadora would have been the one to understand her brother when no one else could.

Diego's mother stood up in defeat. She looked at her son once more before she turned towards the door. To her surprise, she heard Diego say, "Mom, I never got to say bye to Izzy. Why did she just leave like that?"

His voice was quiet and his face tearless, but she could see the anguish and hurt embedded in his eyes. She could do nothing but sob his name and embrace him tightly again.

"I…I just wish I could talk to her one more time," he whispered.

His mother hugged him tighter. She wished so much that she could make it happen; anything to wipe her son's grief away.

Later that night, she sprang up in bed, remembering something a friend had once told her long ago. Maybe, just maybe, she could find a way to fulfill her son's wish.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes:**

**WARNING:** This chapter is pretty long

Oh, and if you have questions/confusion/complaints along the way, please scroll down to my End Notes at the end of this chapter. I may answer them there.

* * *

**Chapter 1 **

The weather was bright and cheery, unlike the way he felt inside. His mother was apparently expecting a mysterious guest and had told him to stay outside during their visit. So he sat on the steps of his backyard patio, unaware of the beautiful sun and flowers that surrounded him. It didn't really matter to him anyways. No matter where he was, he still felt that same empty sadness inside.

Mrs. Armando opened the door to see a tall woman with very big hair dressed in a traditional-looking black and white robe. By her side, looking immensely small, was a young girl.

"You must be Ms. Fey," Mrs. Armando greeted the woman politely.

"Please, call me Mystic Morgan. I understand that you are interested in our spirit channelling services."

"Oh yes. Please, come in where we can discuss this more comfortably."

Mrs. Armando led Morgan to the living room as Morgan turned to her niece.

"Mia, please wait here patiently and behave."

Mia, who had come along because her aunt could not trust her alone at Kurain, nodded obediently.

"Now, Mrs. Armando, I hope you can understand that you will need to travel to Kurain Village so that we can perform the channelling. Very particular conditions are required for utmost safety."

Mrs. Armando sounded slightly disappointed. "So it can't be done right now?"

"I'm afraid not. You will need to make an appointment since my sister, the Master, is very busy."

Mia stood up from her spot on the staircase, uninterested in the boring adult conversation that could last a while. Aunt Morgan had told her to stay there and behave, but she hadn't told Mia that she couldn't move.

Inquisitive by nature, Mia grew curious at the assortment of decorative vases that stood on a long shelf that lining the main hall's wall. Intrigued, she began counting how many there were as she moved down the hall. But before she reached the end, she was distracted by someone talking outside. Tiptoeing over to investigate, she saw a glimpse of a boy sitting there. As she moved closer, she strained her ears to hear what he was saying.

"Izzy?" he asked hesitantly. "Izzy?"

* * *

He always felt better when he closed his eyes. For a moment, everything would seemingly stop, and in that instant, he felt free. When his mind was blank, he could let it wander as he cut off the strings that dragged him down to reality.

He felt the sun upon him as he breathed in the warm spring-summer air. It felt like every May, when he would sit here on the patio steps with his sister, counting the butterflies.

And then he heard them. Footsteps. Uneven and light, with a pause now and then, moving towards where he was. Just like Isadora's always were as she counted how many green vases their mother had. Or how many had flower patterns. Or how many had a wide mouth.

Diego felt his heart pounding in his chest. It was impossible, unthinkable, but he wanted so much to believe it could be true. Even if it were beyond all reason, his logical side seemed to have completely surrendered.

"Izzy?" The name should have seemed foreign from its lack of use, but when he said it, it felt so familiar and comforting.

"Izzy?" he asked again. He opened his eyes and spun around, all in a moment of a leap of faith.

A pair of wide brown eyes met his. Long brown hair framed the little girl's cute face, and a moment later, he noticed her odd clothes. But the look in her eyes was so compelling that he had to look back. She was young, but her eyes gave off a calm serenity of understanding, yet also, a sharp and bright assertiveness.

Diego's surprise at seeing this strange girl was quickly overtaken by a stab of sadness in his heart. How could he have been crazy enough to think that his sister had come back?

The girl's quiet, but concerned voice cut through his depressing thoughts.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly.

Her question threw him off guard. Was he that easy to read? He was suddenly at a loss for words as he stumbled around mentally for something to say. Out of the blue, he felt his sister's voice pipe up in the back of his head.

_"Always introduce yourself and then ask for their name. That's the polite way to meet someone. Oh, and don't forget to smile."_

Without thinking twice about it, Diego followed his sister's advice, not even lapsing in a sudden moment of grief at his sister's memory.

"I'm Diego," he said, smiling politely. "What's your name?"

"Mia Fey," the little girl responded cheerily. "May I sit down?"

Diego nearly laughed and shifted over, already at ease with her. This girl was so happy and straightforward, and with her seemed to come a brighter aura. He didn't want to lose this blissful atmosphere.

"Don't mind me asking, but what are you here for?"

Mia looked a little surprised that he didn't know, cocking her head to the side. "Well, my aunt Morgan brought me here because there was no one to watch me at home. She doesn't trust me," she said, pouting slightly. "And she's here because your mom was interested in our spirit channelling."

"Spirit channelling?"

Mia bobbed her head enthusiastically. "Yup! And I'm a spirit medium…in training."

"So what do you do?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing at the unfamiliar term.

"I can call on the spirits of the dead, and it's like they borrow my body while I'm channelling them," she said proudly.

Diego opened his mouth to ask another question, when suddenly, it hit him, snapping him back to reality. For a few minutes, his mind had been able to shut out the reality of his sister's death, but now, it swept over him in full force.

Mia saw the sudden change in his expression, the light mood vanishing instantly. The pieces clicked together in her young but astute mind, and after a moment, she broke the silence.

"The spirit channelling…did someone in your family pass away recently?" she asked quietly.

Diego gave no response, only looking vacantly into the distance.

Mia hesitated for a moment. "Was her name Izzy?"

Hearing his sister's name, an overwhelming flood of emotion came over him. It startled him, and before he could stop it, tears welled up in his eyes and brimmed over. He was appalled that he was crying, but it was such a relief from all the times he had held it inside of him. Diego felt a hand patting his shoulder gently.

"It's okay. Crying always makes me feel better."

"You wouldn't understand how I feel. It was my sister who died." He hadn't meant for it to come out like that, but caught between his embarrassment at being seen crying and his stubbornness at acting independent, the words just tumbled out.

"Of course I understand," she replied serenely. "My dad died about a year ago."

This took Diego by surprise. He turned to look at her, her eyes calm but sad.

"What happened to him?" he couldn't help but ask.

"They found him in one of the channelling chambers that had no ventilation. They said he was locked in there for a while, and because there were so many candles in the room, the oxygen was used up really quickly."

"But you talked to him after through spirit channelling, right?"

"I really wanted to. Because it all happened so suddenly, and I never got a chance to say bye to my dad. But my mom said no. She said that it wouldn't be fair for us to have a second chance when everyone else in the world didn't. It kind of changes the natural process of mourning after a person dies. And if we got to see him one more time, we would keep wanting to see him again. Not seeing him helped us let go of him."

Her innocent, young eyes were sad as she smiled wistfully.

"I really miss him. But I'll always have my special memories of him." Turning to look at Diego, she continued, "Because what's yours will always be yours to keep. And nothing can ever change that."

Diego was astounded. This girl was so little, but somehow she seemed to understand everything he was feeling. And somehow, she had deciphered all his confusion for him, leaving him with a sense of peace.

"I wish I had said something more meaningful to her that morning," Diego said regretfully. "But I didn't, and all of a sudden, she was gone."

Mia nodded, and continued for him. "And for a while, you feel like they never existed. Then, suddenly, reminders of them start coming up everywhere."

Diego glanced sideways at her. "Actually…when you were walking here, for a moment, I thought you were Izzy," he confessed. "I knew it was impossible…but I couldn't help but hope…"

Mia regarded him silently. "I can channel her if you like," she offered quietly.

"I…I…" he stammered, tempted to accept her suggestion. It would be so easy – seeing his sister one more time. But as he considered, Mia's words from earlier echoed in his head. His sister had already been gone for a month. Maybe it was time to start letting go.

Diego bit his lip, hoping he wouldn't regret his choice, and shook his head firmly. Taking a deep breath, he said bravely, "I have all the memories of her that I'll ever need."

Hearing those words from his own mouth finalized it. Crying had been his way of accepting the truth, and now, he was saying goodbye.

Glancing shyly at Mia, he went on. "You remind me a lot of Izzy, actually. She was always really happy like you. And she always knew how I was feeling before I said it."

They were both silent for a moment, letting that comment hang in the air.

"Thanks," Diego said finally. "I felt so lost without my sister before…and now, I feel better." He felt silly and awkward saying those words, but the clumsy feeling vanished when he saw Mia smiling warmly back at him.

She opened her mouth to say something, but sneezed suddenly instead.

"Are you cold?" Diego asked, concerned.

She rubbed her nose cutely and smiled. "It's probably just the breeze."

He jumped up. "Come." He extended his hand to pull her up and led the way into the house and down the corridor until they reached the closet. He stuck his head inside, and a moment later, he reappeared with a long, tan scarf.

"It was Izzy's," he said softly, holding it out towards her.

Mia looked at him, her brown eyes concerned. "Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly.

He nodded vigourously. "It was her favourite scarf. And I know she wouldn't want it to just sit there collecting dust."

Mia took the scarf reverently and wound it around her neck. She glanced down, only to see both ends touching the floor because of her short stature.

Diego frowned for an instant, then unwound the scarf gently. He folded it in half, and then put it around her neck, tucking one end into the other. The scarf ends now reached Mia's knees.

"Perfect," he smiled, pleased with himself.

Walking back down the hall, Mia stopped again to look at the collection of vases.

"They're all so pretty," she marvelled.

A sudden noise from outside made her jump, causing her to accidentally elbow one of the vases. She clapped a hand over her mouth in horror as it crashed to the floor.

Mrs. Armando and Morgan were out in an instant.

"Mia, didn't I tell you to behave?" Her aunt's voice was already rising, automatically accusing her niece.

Suddenly feeling protective of Mia, Diego cut in.

"No, it was my fault." Turning to his mother, he continued, "Sorry, mom. It was an accident. I'll go clean it up right now."

Mrs. Armando nodded, so bewildered at her son's change in tone that she didn't even notice her daughter's scarf on Mia. Still glancing at her son in awe, she led Morgan back into the living room to continue talking.

"Oh, Diego! I'm sorry! You didn't have to do that for me," Mia gasped, her hands still cupped over her mouth.

"It's okay," he reassured her.

"I'll help you clean up," she offered quickly, darting to the laundry room to get a broom.

"Careful of the glass," he cautioned as she began sweeping up the broken pieces. The broom was nearly the same size as her, and she looked too small to be cleaning up the mess.

When he told her so, she laughed. "I do it all the time at home."

They cleaned up quickly, and almost immediately after, Morgan and Mrs. Armando finished their meeting.

At the door, while the adults discussed contact information and other details, Mia suddenly realized she was still wearing the scarf. She started to take it off, but Diego stopped her.

"It's yours to keep," he said, winking at her.

She stared at him in bewilderment.

"Just take good care of it. Izzy will be happy it didn't go to waste."

She smiled shyly. "Thank you."

He shook his head. "I should be the one saying thank you."

There was still a hint of sadness in his voice, but the pent-up grief was gone. He smiled and waved goodbye to her, feeling a relieved contentment he hadn't felt in a while. This girl had walked in on his life for one day, waving her magic everywhere and made things better when he needed it the most.

And perhaps, one day, he could return the favour.

* * *

**End Notes**

If you live in North America (or maybe even somewhere else), then perhaps you've heard of the kid's TV show _Dora the Explorer_? And then there's her cousin Diego, who has his own show called _Go, Diego, Go!_  
So in case you're wondering, Diego and Isa**DORA** are not in any way references to that. That was a complete coincidence. I only realized that after I finished writing the prologue, and by then, Isadora's name had already stuck.

And if you know someone named Isadora (or, maybe are named that yourself), I realize that Izzy is more commonly a nickname for people named Isabelle or Isabella (or some variation of that name with a different spelling). But Izzy was a cute nickname, and I found that it just suited the character of Diego's sister (AKA my OC) And besides, since when were there ever any rules about names?

Don't ask me how old Diego and Mia are in this chapter. Even I don't know. They do however, have a 4 year age gap between them, which is actually a lot when we're talking about kids. But, consider the fact that Mia was probably always really mature for her age, and really, in the PW world, _anything_ is possible :)

The other reason for my vagueness about their ages is simply this: near the beginning of Turnabout Sisters, Maya mentions to Phoenix that her dad died when she was really young. I wanted to situate this somewhere between the time the Fey sisters' dad dies and when their mom disappears. If you do all the math, it's really hard to situate it in a way that Mia's age is still compatible with her actions here. So I gave up on all the technicalities. I'll just leave it up to guys to imagine Diego and Mia as you wish.

Oh yeah. I know they're both pretty OOC. After all, this is over 10 years before we meet them in the game. They have yet to experience everything that they do when we meet them. And their changes are the reason why they won't instantly recognize each other when they meet again. But I won't say anymore. That would just be story wreckage :) (as my history teacher calls it)

So...comments, criticism, advice and suggestions? I'd love to hear them :)


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes:**

Okay, I'm scrounging together my time in these last two days before going back to school so that I can update.

This chapter's a considerable amount shorter, and though you may hate me for it, Diego's not here yet. (He's still backstage, getting ready). But I promise, next chapter, you'll see him for sure!

Now for some character development on Maya's part, and setting the stage for the coming chapters... :)

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 2**

"Bee-"

The alarm clock's first beep was interrupted by its owner smacking the off button instantaneously. She had already been up for half an hour before the alarm and had been sitting in bed with a thick book on law. At her clock's six o'clock reminder, she slammed the book shut and swung her feet off the bed and into her slippers.

Padding down the hall to the washroom, she passed her sister's room and knocked on the open door.

"Maya, you sleepyhead, wake up!" Taking a second glance, she realized that Maya's bed was already made.

"Boo!"

Mia shrieked and spun around to face a giggling Maya.

"Ma-ya!" she said, her tone a mock reproachful, but a giggle burst out of her too.

"Sis! It's your big day! First day at the law firm! So I had to wake up early and make you a special breakfast!"

Somehow, Mia wasn't surprised that Maya was so excited this early in the morning.

Mia playfully wrinkled her nose. "What is it…soggy burgers?"

"Hey!" Maya laughingly smacked her sister with her wooden spatula. "Don't make fun of my burgers! And for your information, I made _pancakes_. Specially shaped ones, too!"

Mia looked amused. "This, I have to see."

Shuffling over to their kitchen, Mia glanced at the plates piled high with pancakes.

"Uh…Maya…all I see are circles."

"They're not circles!" Maya protested. "They're attorney-badge shaped!"

"_Right_," Mia said slowly, nodding skeptically, and then, both girls burst out laughing.

"Maybe I should send you to pancake-making class," Mia laughed.

"Maybe you should send yourself to true art appreciation class," Maya retorted laughingly.

Mia patted her sister's head. "But anyways, thanks. I bet circle-attorney-badge pancakes taste better than anything else. Good for getting me into the law mood for my first day at work," she smiled.

In half an hour, they were both ready to go, with lots of time to spare. Mia made two creamy cups of hot chocolate, and they sat down at the cozy little kitchen table.

"Hey, sis, why do you always wear that scarf?"

Mia looked surprised for a moment, almost forgetting that she had it on.

"Oh. Well…it brings back a special memory from when I was younger." Mia smiled as she remembered.

"Ooh," Maya grinned mischievously. "Was it from a guy?"

Mia laughed. "Well, I guess you could say so. But at the time, he was just a little boy." She paused, thoughtful. "I can't remember very much about him, though. It was so long ago. I think his name was…Daniel? Something like that."

Maya looked confused. "But if you barely remember him, why is that scarf so special?"

"I met him about a year after our dad died." Maya was silent, listening attentively.

"At that time, I still wasn't fully accepting the truth. I was upset at mom for not letting us see dad again. I was being bratty and selfish with her, thinking that no one had it worse than me.

But then, I met him. He seemed so alone – he had just lost his sister, and his mom didn't seem to understand him at all. And then I started to realize how lucky I was, that I still had you and mom, who was so strong and understanding. When I began to comfort him, telling him all the things that mom had told me, I finally began to understand. And because I knew he was trusting and believing in what I said, I started to believe in mom.

I could tell he was really sad, but when I mentioned dad, he was instantly concerned about me. He was selfless in that way, and he even gave me this scarf later. It was his sister's."

Maya sat there, awestruck at Mia's story.

"Wow…I had no idea. Maybe I owe having such a great sis partly to him," Maya grinned.

Mia smiled back, a little wistfully. "I wish I remember him better, though. I feel like I'm on the brink of remembering, but my memory's fuzzy. No matter how hard I try, I can't quite put together what he looked like."

Maya patted Mia's hand from across the table.

"Don't worry, sis. If you guys are meant to be, you're sure to meet him again!"

Mia snorted. "How did we get on the topic of my soulmate? I'm just talking about a boy I met when I was really little."

Maya winked playfully. "You never know, sis. Who knows…maybe Mr. Mystery Boy will end up as my brother-in-law!"

Mia rolled her eyes. "Oh! Would you look at the time? Time to go! I guess that conversation will just have to end there."

Maya stuck her tongue out. "I'll get you next time! We'll find a perfect soulmate for you. In the meantime, I hope you have an awesome first day!"

"With my stomach full of attorney badge pancakes, I'm sure to do fine," Mia laughed. "Aunt Morgan's coming on the train to pick you up now, right?"

Promptly, the doorbell rang.

"Okay, sis," Maya gave her sister a big hug. "Good luck! And call me soon!"

"Good luck with your training too! Work hard! And don't eat too many burgers!"

Both girls were laughing as they said goodbye.

* * *

**End Notes:**

Okay, I'm sorry. I bet that was terribly boring, and a complete downplay from everything happening in the first chapter :(

Buuut, things will kick up once they meet again :)

And I might need Maya in future chapters, so I musn't neglect her character development. And now you know Mia's side of their conversation from all those years ago :)

Anyways, review?


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes:**

Hey all! :) I'm sorry if I kept any of you waiting for an update -.- (I'm not going to give you a list of excuses for the delay.) I will add, however, that I did have this chapter begun several months ago, but it was just so BORING that I could not continue it. So I abandoned it for a (very hectic) three months, and sat down and took it from a different angle yesterday. So this chapter may not be great, but I can promise that it's better than whatever that first trial for Ch. 3 would have turned out as.

You may be a little disappointed that there's still no real evidence of the chemistry between Mia and Diego here, but take into account the fact that when Turnabout Beginnings started, they were talking like they barely knew each other.

Next chappie, I promise, things will kick up a notch :)

Anyways, enough of me blabbing - everything else that needs to be addressed will be in the end notes

**

* * *

Chapter 3**

Diego Armando had a very good poker face.

Not that he gambled. But his years growing up as his mother's supporter had pushed him to always be cool-headed and calm. Then his career as a defence attorney had reinforced that cool, collected composure. It took a lot to surprise him. The new rookies at the law office even had a secret competition to see who could catch him off guard. So far, no one had succeeded.

That wasn't to say he acted emotionless. In fact, he was quite the opposite. He was always the life of the party, he always had some witty comeback to whatever people had to say to him. But beneath that playful exterior was a man with a steely determination and a depth that few people took the time to understand. In truth, he was lonely, though not even he realized it. He had gone for so many years without anyone to truly understand him, that he didn't even realize what was causing that empty feeling inside of him.

Diego was already on his third cup of coffee when the office door swung open at precisely 9AM. A young woman walked in, chewing her bottom lip, and glanced around, looking like she had momentarily lost her bearings. Diego saw her inhale sharply and intercept the first person who walked past her, one of the trainees.

"Um, excuse me, is Mr. Grossberg in?"

The trainee looked a little thrown at seeing a woman in the male-dominated office and seemed just as flustered as she was.

"Oh, y-yeah," he stammered. "Just follow me." He led the way to Grossberg's room.

_Poor kid_, Diego chuckled to himself. He was, however, curious about the mysterious woman.

"Theo," Diego had walked over to his understudy's desk.

"Mr. Armando?" Theo glanced up from the papers he was diligently filling out, ink smeared across his nose.

"You don't happen to know who that lady was, do you?" Diego was seldom at the office as he was constantly taking cases, leaving it to his understudy to fill him in about the office details.

"I think I overheard someone say that Mr. Grossberg hired her. Something about graduating with astounding marks or something."

"So I guess we'll be making acquaintances with her soon." Diego gestured towards the men-filled office and asked amusedly, "Do you think she'll survive?"

Before Theo had the chance to reply, Grossberg's door opened and he emerged, followed by the woman, who looked terribly small in comparison.

"A-hem!" That throat-clearing could be recognized anywhere. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce to you the newest addition to our law offices, Ms. Mia Fey. Mia, would you like to introduce yourself a bit?"

Mia's face went pink. Diego felt a wave of pity for her being put on the spot like that and came to her rescue.

"Mr. Grossberg, I'm sure Ms. Fey would like us to introduce ourselves too. And maybe we should get her settled before we play the get-to-know-yous?"

"Ah, that's a good idea, Diego. Mia, m'dear, you'll be working under me, so just let me know if you need anything. Mr. Hammond will show you your desk."

She turned to the man Grossberg had gestured to, who politely offered his hand.

"Robert Hammond," he introduced himself, shaking her hand tightly. She smiled politely back, then snuck a relieved glance at Grossberg's retreating back. She went around as everyone introduced themselves, though she still looked a tad uncomfortable at being spotlighted.

Diego switched his coffee mug to his left hand when Mia got to him.

"I'm Diego Armando. Just call me Diego," he smiled complacently.

"Just call me Mia." She took the outstretched hand and smiled at him. When their eyes met, he had a sudden flash of fragmented recognition.

_I've seen those brown eyes before. But where?_

"Ms. Fey, have we met before?" he asked suddenly.

She seemed thrown by his question. "I-I'm not sure..." She didn't recognize him, but a sense of familiarity tickled the edges of her memory. But before anything else could be added to that conversation, Theo extended his hand and Mia's introductions continued.

After a half-hour of settling Mia in, everyone returned to their usual spots, though there was many a glance in Mia's direction. Of the people who were studying the newcomer in their office, Diego was one of them.

_Where have I seen her before? _Diego mused, watching as she pushed her brown bangs back, only to have them fall forward again.

"Uh...Mr. Armando, sir?" Theo was unsettled by his mentor's odd behaviour. "Sir...I hate to ask, but...you're...not checking her out, are you?" He lowered his voice at the last part.

"Theo," Diego sighed. "I know what I'm doing, alright?"

The poor boy backed off, but couldn't help but be wary. After all, it wasn't exactly normal for his mentor to look like he was ogling her.

Diego's brows furrowed as he continued watching Mia. He knew he probably looked strangely creepy, but he wouldn't be able to work until he remembered where he had seen her before.

Mia was intently studying a case file Mr. Grossberg had handed her, but was momentarily distracted when one end of her scarf slid off her shoulder and obscured her papers. Absentmindedly, she flung it back over her shoulder.

Diego felt a sudden jolt of recognition. That little action had stirred up a moment of déjà vu in him – he had seen his sister do the exact same thing so many times before. With a start, he looked again, this time at Mia's scarf. Without a doubt, it was identical to Isadora's. Suddenly, the memory flooded back to him – that girl, the spirit channelling, his sister's scarf. But most of all, what that mysterious girl had done for him; the way she had helped him up from where he had fallen and encouraged him to keep going.

_That can't be her! What are the chances?_ He asked himself in disbelief. But the more he studied her features, the more he was certain that he couldn't have mistaken those brown eyes.

She got up out of her seat and started towards the office's little kitchen, presumably to pour herself a drink. Diego followed her, determined to find an answer.

Leaning against the doorframe, he spoke.

"Coffee?" he offered, lifting the coffee pot off the counter beside where he stood.

Mia jumped, startled. "Oh! Mr. Armando, I didn't notice you there." She let him pour her a cup and thanked him as she took it.

She smiled. "By the way, I forgot to mention this earlier, but thanks for getting me out of that little...uh, situation with Mr. Grossberg."

Diego gave his signature grin. "It was nothing, Kitten."

Oops. He hadn't meant for that to slip out, but the memory of Mia looking so put on the spot reminded him of a vulnerable kitten.

Mia gave him a weird look.

Diego cursed himself internally for the tongue-slip, but continued smiling suavely.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Ms. Fey. I have a bad habit of calling beautiful ladies that." He nearly tripped over his own words as he scrambled to make up the lie.

Mia blushed and glanced down to take a sip of her coffee.

_What. A. Flirt._

"Ms. Fey, I know I asked this earlier, but are you sure we haven't met before?"

_...Is that just a really bad pick-up line?_

"Uh..." she glanced up uncertainly. She had to admit that there was _something_ about him that seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Before she could come together with some kind of suitable response, one of the trainees called from the desk, "New case for you, Mr. Armando!"

"Give me a moment," he answered them, turning back to Mia.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Fey. I guess we'll have to continue this conversation at a later time, then."

Mia nodded complacently, smiling slightly behind the rim of her mug.

The trainee called again. "It's a big case, sir! You'll have to fly there for a couple of weeks!"

Diego sighed. "A much later time then," he added apologetically to Mia.

"So I won't be seeing you for a while, I presume?"

Diego grinned again. "Then I hope that when I get back, you'll be taking your first case."

Mia returned the smile. "I hope so too."

As Diego turned to leave, he was certain that his recognition of her was correct.

_It seems that she doesn't remember me. Ah...well, when I get back, we'll have lots of time to chat, Kitten._

_

* * *

_

**End Notes:**

Oh, poor Diego, being misunderstood by Mia like that.

Anyways, this is just going by my theory: I don't think Diego's actually a flirt. The game leads us to believe that because he refers to both Mia and Dahlia as "Kitten", but...what if he just called Dahlia that so that it wouldn't be so obvious a pet name (no pun intended) for Mia? Well, that's what I think. After all, flirts don't suddenly meet one person and turn absolutely and completely percent loyal to that person of their dreams. It's too much of a stretch. After all, bad habits die hard, no?

I don't know if you guys found this inconsistent: confident, upbeat Diego contrasted with his inner monologue. I'm aware of how hotshot he acts in front of people, but is it too ridiculous to imagine all the uncertainties he hides inside? Like him scrambling inside to make up the lie about the "Kitten" slip while maintaining his usual composure. Was _that_ too much of a stretch?

Oh, and one little explanation: The reason Diego remembers Mia, but she doesn't recognize him is simply because he was older when he met her. I know that the same amount of time passed for both of them (duh), but just because Diego was older when they met, the memory was more vivid for him. That's all :)

Umm...so review, please? (Pretty please with a...a...Snackoo on top?)

Anyways, next chapter, Mia takes her first case! And we all know what happens :)

Or do we?


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes:**

Aha! We've finally reached the drama. I do hope I kept them in character enough... :(

I do owe you all a long chapter for all the slow updates, and of course, as a thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I do love the input and commentary :)

For those who don't like reading so much, I do apologize, but the length was necessary for the events that will play out in a minute or two. So please bear with me.

And due to the length of this chapter, I must confess that the end notes will be rather lengthy too. I do have a number of things to address :P

Seeing that this chapter does revolve around **Turnabout Beginnings**, I don't think I need to point out that there will be spoilers for it. And if you do find any of Mia's actions here questionable, I do invite you to check out what I have dubbed _The Great Mia Fey Personality Debate_ in my end notes :)

Without any further ado, I bring you chapter 4~

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Mia had never been so nervous in her life. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, her hands felt clammy and she was unusually jumpy. She tried closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, while internally chastising herself for taking such an impossible case. Her mind drew a blank as she scrambled to remember why she'd made such a ridiculous decision.

A large figure suddenly appeared before her. She jumped, startled, only to realize that it was her client. Attempting to calm her nerves, she tried to make small talk with him, but it frazzled her even more, as he seemed even jumpier than she was. Mia bit down on her lip; her client wasn't shedding any light on the case, making the task before her seem even more daunting and impossible.

"Ha...!"

A faintly familiar voice interrupted her nervous jumble of thoughts. It was a voice she hadn't heard for over a month. Mia spun around, bewildered at seeing the man who stood before her. She had been expecting Mr. Grossberg, if anyone, to come and watch her first trial. In fact, she had almost completely forgotten about Diego in the weeks of his absence.

"Y-You're...Why are you here?"

"I came to see how our little kitten was doing all alone in the big, scary lion's den...I thought you might like someone to play with."

Mia couldn't say she cared much for his blasé, teasing, confident attitude, but she could sense something more behind that signature grin of his. There was a certain steely determination in his voice, and she was sure that he was just as determined as she to find justice. His confidence was unexpectedly reassuring, and his presence oddly comforting. It was better than anything Grossberg could have provided.

"Well, it's about time to head in, Kitten. Sharpen those claws of yours. It's go time!"

Mia didn't even realize she was hesitating until she felt his hand on her back, gently urging her forward into the courtroom. Mia could almost feel herself shrink as she walked inside the intimidating room, and couldn't help but notice the numerous pairs of eyes looking on from above. It certainly didn't help her confidence to see the young man across from her not looking even slightly ruffled.

Mia nearly bailed and ran out of there, but she glanced at the defendant's chair and saw her client's terrified and helpless expression. He had no one to help him but her. There was no way she would leave without putting up a fight.

Diego was eying the new prosecutor warily, giving him a once-over. He wasn't sure if Mia was up to fending off the smug arrogance that was practically emanating out of him.

"Don't let Mr. Frilly bully you, Kitten. Show him what you've got," Diego leaned over to whisper.

Mia managed a small smile. _Don't let him notice how much you're shaking!_

Mia herself wasn't sure how she was ploughing through. She tried not to think about everything that was at stake, but rather just uncover one contradiction at a time. As the case unfolded before her, she slowly began to piece it together, though she had to admit that she couldn't have gotten so far without the man beside her urging her on, even when she blundered and stumbled.

Finally, she could feel the case reaching a conclusion. She nearly had the culprit; every nerve in her body felt it. She just needed that one last testimony to tear apart the prosecution's case. It felt almost as if there was some sudden strength inside her, pushing her, propelling her towards the answer.

And then, suddenly, everything derailed, twisting in a rapid plunge to the tragic scene before her.

She watched him die.

She saw her client crumple on the stand before her very eyes, saw his eyes close, heard that echoing crash. Everything seemed to freeze, and the sudden frenzy of movement all around her seemed to fall into slow motion. She turned to see the prosecutor across from her slam his hand onto the desk, yelling something, yet somehow, Mia couldn't hear him.

Her eyes turned slowly back to the body slumped on the stand, and she choked out something between a sob and gasp.

"Mr-Mr. Fawles!"

And suddenly, there was that steadying hand on her arm, and the firm voice that cut in to snap her back to her senses.

"We were so close to the truth. It was right there in front of us. You were just a little too soft, Kitten..."

"It's my fault! It's all my fault that Mr. Fawles killed himself!" She closed her eyes, a trail of tears leaking down her cheek.

"Don't cry, Kitten. You're going to make my coffee all salty."

She gave no response. Diego wasn't even sure if she'd heard him.

"...Don't you get it? You can't cry yet. The only time a lawyer can cry is when it's all over."

She wanted to believe him, to trust the conviction in his voice, but there was no way she could forgive herself so easily. And he was wrong. It _was_ over. She couldn't do this anymore. Not after she'd just made her client die.

She turned away from him. "Lawyer? I don't deserve to be a lawyer. I don't need to sacrifice any more lives to realize that."

Part of her wished that he hadn't believed in her so much; she felt like she had completely let him down, undeserving of all the faith he'd put in her. She felt ashamed as she watched his hand bleed from the broken glass shards he now held, as he stood there watching her silently. He'd been their backbone throughout the whole trial; she'd been so useless, and despite all the effort she thought she'd given, she was just the one to cause the tragic ending.

She didn't want to face him. She couldn't face him. Especially when she couldn't face herself. So she did the only thing she could think of.

She ran.

Mia didn't know where she was going. She just blindly pushed through the crowd and through the heavy courtroom doors, and ran until she was alone outside. She fell back against the wall of the building, and feeling the strength drain from her body, slid to the ground and buried her head in her arms.

Why was she such a failure? Why did she seem to bring tragedy to everyone she cared about? First it was her father who died when she and Maya were so young, and then her mother disappeared soon after. And now, she had caused an innocent man to die.

At the memory of her parents, Mia started to sob. She had tried to be strong for Maya all these years, but she felt so weak and vulnerable, especially now. How could she be a good older sister when she couldn't even protect the life of Mr. Fawles? She wished so much that she wasn't alone to fend for herself, that she was a little girl again, when hiding under the covers would make the monsters go away. She couldn't handle this; she wished she could cry out and have her mother make everything better again. Instead, she was all alone to fight for herself, completely useless and weak.

"Mia?"

How had he found her so quickly? She was suddenly aware of her soaked sleeve, and tried vainly to wipe the tears from her face with the back of her hands.

He bent down beside her and held out a tissue. She took it silently as she sniffled, trying to quiet the shaking sobs that were escaping her.

"What happened to you, Mia?" His voice was unexpectedly grave.

How was she supposed to answer a question like that?

He continued without waiting for her answer.

"The Mia Fey I met ten years ago would never have given up and broken down so easily. What happened to you?"

"W-What?" She was reeling from surprise; that was definitely not a response she was expecting. What was he even talking about?

He said nothing, just held her gaze for a moment, considering something.

"Can I bring you somewhere?" he asked finally.

She hesitated. She was dreading to go home, to return to her dark little house and wallow in her sadness all alone. But at the same time, she didn't want anyone to see her like this, and she was unsure of what Diego had in mind.

As if reading her thoughts, Diego reassured her, "No one will be there where we're going."

Taking her silence for an answer, he gently helped her up. She made no effort to resist as she let him guide her around the courthouse and into the parking lot. When he opened the passenger door for her, she couldn't help but ask where they were going.

"You'll see," was the only reply he would give.

Diego was preparing himself to strike up some light conversation to distract Mia from thinking about the trial in the car. Surprisingly, she beat him to it.

"What was your first trial like?" Mia asked quietly.

The question took Diego by surprise. So much for wanting to avoid the topic. "Do you mean the first trial I was defence for, or the first trial I participated in?" He spun the steering wheel with his unbandaged hand as he made a smooth left turn.

"You went to court before becoming a lawyer?"

"I was pretty young at the time. A few months after my sister died, one of my deceased father's sisters filed a lawsuit against my mother, accusing her as the one responsible for my sister's death. My aunt had never liked my mother, but she loved my sister, and she was especially bitter towards Mom after my sister died."

Mia's eyes were wide with pity, momentarily forgetting her own anguish. "You lost your father, then your sister, and then watched your aunt accuse your mother as the one who caused your sister's death? How did you handle all that?"

Diego gave her a sideways glance. "It was all because of a little girl that I met shortly after my sister's death. She encouraged me to be strong and to believe in my mother, and it was her words that gave me the strength to be a witness for my mother. That day, in the courtroom, as I watched the defence attorney valiantly fight to clear my mother's name, I vowed that I would be the one to protect her and other people around me from then on."

Mia felt a lump in her throat. "You were so young and you could face all that. But I..."

"Don't discredit yourself, Mia. You were just as strong as I was. First your father died, then your mother disappeared, and you were the one left to raise your little sister."

"How do you know all that?"

Diego opted not to reply, but simply said, "We're here."

Mia glanced out the window to see a cemetery. Diego was certainly one to keep the dreary mood. Mia stepped out of the car, trying to understand why they were there. It wasn't possible that Mr. Fawles was being buried already, and besides, Diego didn't seem the type to make her watch the burial.

Diego walked up behind her, and she was surprised to see her scarf in his hands.

"That's mi-"

"You left it in the car," he explained, folding it in half, and tucking one end through the loop on the other end around her neck.

That small, familiar action triggered an unexpected memory from the back of Mia's mind. Her eyes widened.

"You...You're-"

"Shh," he hushed her, taking her hand. "Questions can come later."

He led her through a maze of headstones until they reached one with a bouquet of simple daisies.

Mia read the name. _Isadora "Izzy" Armando._

"Izzy," Mia breathed, recognizing the name. "She's your-"

"Sister," Diego finished for her. "My older sister."

Mia nearly staggered backwards as the memories pieced together in her head. So she had been right when she'd thought Diego seemed familiar.

"When she died, I thought that somehow, it had to be my fault," Diego began quietly. "Maybe if I had taken better care of her, or if I had been with her, I could have stopped that car from hitting her. Maybe if I had helped out at home more, my mother wouldn't have been away working, leaving Izzy to be the one to pick me up. If I'd been bigger or stronger, maybe I could have protected her somehow. But I failed that, and I was convinced that her death was my fault."

Mia's eyes were starting to brim over again and she squeezed his hand gently. She knew how it felt to blame herself; she'd gone through the same emotions as Diego had when her dad died and when her mom disappeared.

He turned to look at her. "But one day, a little girl appeared at my house, and somehow seemed to understand me. I had shut out everyone after Izzy died, but yet, this girl made me face her death and stand back up after the grief nearly crippled me. She made me realize that so many things were beyond my control, they were just facts of life. People that we care about will die, they'll leave us, but we have to move on and continue living. If that girl had never brought me to understand that, I don't know if I would be here now."

Diego looked at her until she lifted her gaze to his.

"You were that little girl, Mia.

And yet, today, when Mr. Fawles died, you chose to blame yourself, to run away, to give up. You've already pulled through so much, so why would you just throw it all away and give up now? What happened to the little Mia who helped me up all those years ago? You told me all those things with so much conviction, but today, you ran away from your own words."

Mia was crying. But this time, it wasn't for blaming herself for the death of Terry Fawles. It was for how easily she had wanted to give up, for how she had nearly let Mr. Fawles' death be for nothing, and for losing that fighting spirit that had been in her all those years ago.

Mia felt Diego embrace her gently.

"I know how much of a shock it was to watch him die like that. I was right beside you. I know how much you wish you could rewind it all, or just throw it all down and never have to face it again. But don't let all our effort go to waste. We _will _catch Dahlia Hawthorne. As long as you and I are around, that demoness won't have a day of peace."

Diego pulled back to look at her. "If we just give up, Dahlia Hawthorne wins. Don't let that happen no matter what you do. You can't give up, Mia. Not now. Not ever."

Mia took a moment to wipe her eyes, then looked at him, the fighting sprit having returned to her. She gave him a small smile and nodded.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Diego's determined gaze softened as he smiled. "You don't need to thank me, Mia. I'm just returning an overdue favour."

* * *

**End Notes:**

Okay, here we go...

Firstly, I apologize for the lame chapter ending. I know it's kind of open-ended. But I didn't want to drag it out much further, because then it would have just gone on forever...

As for you Edgey-poo lovers, I send you my sincere apologies for calling him "Mr. Frilly" and saying that he looked arrogant. (Okay, I love him too, but he was the opponent! Come on!)

As promised, here comes _The Great Mia Fey Personality Debate_ :)

Before you and I have a huge argument over whether Mia should or should not have acted the way she did after the trial, at least let me present my case.

Mia is a completely new lawyer. She's been under a huge amount of pressure her entire life, and now, she's just watched her client die. She is completely convinced that it's her fault. Is she strong enough to face something like that yet? Maybe not. Would the 27 year old Mia have run away? No. Would the 23 year old have? Maybe.

And maybe she wasn't that strong all those years of her life. She needed someone like Diego to remind her of that spark she had inside. She might have still had that fighting spirit, but only once she could stop blaming herself.

I know Mia has such a tough-as-nails, cool, calm, collected personality, but she can't always have been like that every single day of her life. After all, it's only through our stumblings that we find the strength to stand back up again.

Okay. I think that's everything. Now you can all hit me with your verdict :P

You may have noticed that I did some minor tweaking with the actual script so that it flowed better with my storyline. I know that at the end of the case, we all assume that after Diego's ever-famous quote "_The only time a lawyer can cry is when it's all over_", Mia accepts that it's not her fault, and gets back to her feet to go after Dahlia one more time. But was that one sentence from Diego really enough to reinvigorate her, and convince her that it wasn't her fault?

And lastly, some of the nitty-gritty technical stuff:

~ Just so that you don't all fret about Mia having left her car (does she even have one?) at the courthouse, don't worry, let's just say she took a taxi because she didn't think her nerves were ideal for driving.

~ Mia and Diego met when they were little just a month after Isadora died. Thus, when they met, it was still one or two months before Diego's aunt filed a lawsuit against his mother.

~ Um...what do you put on a headstone? I've never been to a cemetery before, so I just put Isadora's name and left it at that. Let's pretend that Mia was so shocked when she read the name that she didn't even read the rest of what was on there.

~ When Diego makes that comment about how much different Mia was 10 years ago, "10 years" is an approximate value/figure of speech. (That was for all you nitpicky people out there :P)

Whew. I think that's all. I'm very sorry about all my ramblings -.-


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes:**

Hi guys, still remember me?

To everyone who's been waiting for (or has forgotten about) this story, a huge apology for the incredibly late update. I've been really, really busy. I also want to extend my thanks for your patience if you're still hanging around, and thanks for sticking with this.

To everyone who's just joining us, welcome and I hope you stay a while :)

I'm also a little worried. I haven't written in so long, so I hope that this isn't a complete disappointment. You might also want to reread the previous chapter - I know I had to, to get back in touch with my own story :P

I shall see you all at my End Notes :)

* * *

**Chapter 5**

"Maya?"

"Sis! How did it go? Did you get him a not guilty?"

"He-" _Died. _Mia faltered for only a moment, but it was long enough for Maya to realize something.

"Okay, you know what, sis? I'm coming over there. I'll catch the next train out of Kurain."  
"But Maya, you can't just leave."

"Yes, I can," Maya said firmly. "You are my sister, and I can come and see you anytime I want. And even if I can't, I'll still do it."

"Maya," Mia's reproachful parental tone came out, but it died as quickly as it came. "Just be careful on the train, okay?"

Maya smiled on the other end as she rolled her eyes. "Yes, _Mommy_, I've taken the train on my own before."

"Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Thank you, Maya."

* * *

Mia was trying to clear her books of her pull-out couch when the doorbell rang.

"Did you remember to pack– oh."

It wasn't Maya.

"Diego? Um, would you like to come in?"

"Only if I'm not keeping you from your cleaning," he gestured to the array of items scattered around her living room.

"Oh, no, no, it's fine!" Flustered, and giving up on her cleaning, she shoved everything inside the closet and shut the door. "You can sit down…do you want coffee? I can make some," she offered.

"No, Mia, I'm okay," he chuckled slightly. "Just sit down."

"Okay…"

"Just so that I don't come across as some kid of stalker, it was Mr. Grossberg who gave me your apartment address and sent me here. He heard about what happened and sends his condolences along with these…" Diego reached in to the plastic bag he'd brought with him. "Lemon cookies, lemon-scented candles, lemon spritz air freshener…and even lemon-flavoured toothpaste. He claims that the scent will do wonders."

"Lemon _toothpaste_? They make that?"

Diego laughed at seeing Mia's incredulous expression. "I'll take it that you're not a lemon fan either."

"Do you think he'll notice if I never come to work smelling like lemon?"

"Honestly, Kitten, by tomorrow, he won't even remember that he gave those to you. But that does remind me of the second thing…"

"Which would be?"

"Grossberg wants to know when you'll be ready to come back to work and take on a new case," he said, watching her expression.

She closed her eyes for a brief moment and took a deep breath in. "Tomorrow," she smiled at him.

"Tomorrow?" He raised an eyebrow.

"But only on two conditions. Firstly, I'm not taking a new case until I catch Dahlia Hawthorne."

"That's the Kitten I know," he smiled. "I'm sure I can arrange it. What's the second condition?"

"That you catch her with me."

His smile grew even broader. "Then she's as good as caught."

"You don't mind, do you?" she asked uncertainly. "I mean, it's fine if you'd prefer to take on other cases…I just thought that you wanted to catch her as much as I do."

"Of course I do. Besides, how could I ever turn down the lovely Mia Fey?"

A sudden crash outside interrupted their conversation.

"Ow, ow, ow!" a girl's voice yelped in the hallway. Upon hearing this, Mia leapt up to pull the door open.

"Maya! Are you alright?"

Maya looked up from her horizontal position on a luggage bag. "Oh. Hi, sis," she smiled sheepishly. "I, um, stubbed my toe on my bag and fell over."

"Oh Maya," Mia groaned, helping her sister up. "Will you ever get less clumsy?"

"Do you need help?" Diego offered, then smiled and extended his hand to Maya. "I'm Diego. I work with your sister at the law firm."

"Hi Diego! I'm Maya, and I'm a spirit medium…in training."

Something about that struck Diego as familiar, and he stared at her strangely for a moment before he started laughing. "You two are definitely related. Your sister said the exact same thing to me all those years ago when we first met."

"When you first met?" Maya echoed, raising her eyebrow and smiling impishly, throwing her sister a meaningful glance. Mia flushed and gave Maya a stern look in return.

Diego lifted Maya's bag to help her, only to stagger backwards from the weight. "What did you pack in here? Rocks?"

"I don't know…I might have."

Diego almost started laughing before he saw her face and realized that she was serious.

"I was in a rush," she explained. "So I just packed anything I saw within arm's reach. I think I may have brought my lamp…"

"Oh Maya," was all Mia could manage as she shook with laughter.

Diego shook his head, smiling, then turned to Mia. "I think I'll leave you two. Call me if you need anything, and I'll see you tomorrow, Kitten."

The moment the elevator doors closed on Diego, Maya nudged her sister. "Call me, _Kitten_," she winked.

"Maya!" her sister hissed.

"So when was this first time you two met?" Maya grinned mischievously.

Mia sighed, relenting. "He's the boy who gave me this scarf."

Maya's eyes widened. "Seriously? _He's_ scarf-boy?" She jumped excitedly. "Do you like him, sis? Do you like him?"

Mia flushed scarlet. "Maya! Stop that!"

"You do like him!" Maya sang triumphantly, skipping back into her sister's apartment.

_Do I?_ Mia asked herself. _Oh no, Mia…what are you getting yourself into?

* * *

_

Mia had thought that working with Diego would be difficult to adjust to, but she fell into rhythm with her new work partner much more quickly than she'd expected. He had a witty sense of humour, but knew when to take her seriously; he had a diligent work ethic like her, but at the end of the day, he was always the one who stopped her from working too late.

Despite their relentless hunt for Dahlia Hawthorne, their conversations always managed to drift to something else. He asked questions that she'd never even considered, and she took her time gathering her answers, discovering things that she'd never realized about herself. He brought her to believe in herself, led her to face everything with perseverance and honesty, and taught her to be a little less harsh on herself. She in turn, brought them to constantly self-reflect; she was the perfectionist but also the emotional one, and she steered him to put his heart into whatever he did, like her.

Years later, the two of them would wish that they hadn't taken their time together for granted. Had they known how little time they had, they might have better treasured it.

* * *

Diego wasn't sure what it was exactly that attracted him to Mia. There was something very genuine about her, and he found himself opening up about things he never thought he would, completely comfortable with this woman he'd only known for a few months. They had found a way of connecting on a deeper level, and only then did Diego see how much had been lacking in his relationships with other people.

* * *

They were working late one night when the lights suddenly went out with a pop.

Diego groaned. "The fuse probably got blown. Sit tight, Kitten, I'll try to find the fuse box."

Ten minutes later, Diego returned to find Mia sitting on her desk, legs dangling, looking contemplatively out the window. He shone the flashlight in his hand at her. "Well, I _found_ the fuse box, but I have no idea what to do with it."

Mia laughed. "It's okay. It's kind of nice like this, actually…the dark is comforting in its own weird way."

"Well, Kitten, if we're going to sit around enjoying the dark, then let's have some fresh air while we're at it."

Just behind the law offices was a little park and playground that provided a nice view out of the office window during the day. It was usually full of laughing kids, strolling adults, dog walkers and the like, but at midnight, it was dark and tranquil, the only sounds from the infrequent passing cars. Mia settled herself on a bench, and Diego sat down beside her.

"It's been so long since I've been to a playground," he shook his head wistfully.

"I feel so old now," she smiled, breathing in the warm, early spring air.

Diego leaned forward, musing something he couldn't seem to figure out. He turned to look at Mia questioningly, "You like the dark?"

Mia returned his questioning look. "Why do you find that strange?"

"Doesn't the dark hold a lot of uncertainty for you? You seem to be the type of person who likes being in control of things. That's why you're such a perfectionist – you like everything secure and stable, and you're uncomfortable with not knowing what might happen next," he said, studying her face carefully.

She looked on straight ahead, silent for a few moments, then answered quietly, "Observant, aren't you?" Fiddling with the end of her scarf, she hesitated again before continuing. "When you lose the important people in your life, you can't help but grow insecure. You become afraid of what tomorrow might bring, or more so, what else it might take away from you. I'm sure you understand that," she stole a quick glance at his face before elaborating.

"The other day, you asked me what I'm afraid of. That's my answer – feeling helpless and out of control. And maybe, even more than that, I'm afraid of admitting it," Mia confessed, her voice growing quiet. "Everyone thinks I'm so strong, but deep down, I'm just a coward who keeps running from her fears. Maybe that's why I like the dark…there are certain things that I don't want to see about myself." She looked down again, suddenly ashamed.

"You're not the only one."

She turned to look at him, surprised.

"I used to think that if I never let anyone know how insecure I was, and if I could hide that fact from myself, it made me a strong person. But I've come to realize that it takes more courage to admit that I'm inadequate on my own than it does to pretend that I can handle it all."

Mia let his words sink in. "You're no coward, Diego."

"Then neither are you," he said firmly.

"You overestimate me," she fidgeted, grasping for the right words and unsure of how much she should reveal. "You're the only person I've ever been able to admit that to," she confessed finally.

"The same goes for me," he replied simply, smiling at her.

When he saw her bewildered expression, it was his turn to grasp for words. "Mia, don't tell me that you haven't realized." He sighed and laughed to himself, "Kitten, for such a smart girl, you can be so silly sometimes."

"You lost me."

"Mia, do you honestly think that I go around telling this kind of thing to everyone I know? That you're just another co-worker to me?" _If she doesn't read into that,_ Diego thought to himself, _then I really don't know how else to spell it out for her._

Mia suddenly felt like a little girl with her first crush again, heart pounding in her chest. "Would you laugh," she said slowly, "if I told you that every time I saw you talking with someone else, I hoped that you were discussing the weather?" A shy smile spread across her face as she slipped her hand into his.

He didn't mean to laugh, but he didn't know how else to express the feeling of elation that suddenly filled him. He pulled her into his arms and smiled, "You, Kitten, are truly something special."

And that night, on a park bench under the moonlight, they kissed for the first time.

* * *

Mia had told Diego that she wasn't taking a new case until they caught Dahlia Hawthorne, but as the weeks went by, she couldn't keep turning a blind eye to the clients whose cases were refused. She realized how many helpless people were being given guilty verdicts simply because no lawyer wanted to take the risk of an "impossible" case. As she watched one client turned down after another, her sense of justice could stand it no longer.

One morning, Diego arrived at work and found Mia pleading with Mr. Grossberg to take a case that had already been rejected.

"Please, Mr. Grossberg! If you don't help these people, no one else can!"

"Mia, m'dear, you have to understand – this case is so huge that it'll be all over the front pages the next day. There is practically no chance that we can win this case, and our offices can't suffer that kind of loss."

"Please, sir, could you at least consider it?"

"M'dear, if you really want to help those people, couldn't you take the case yourself?"

That left Mia speechless for a moment. "Sir, I'll even do all the research and investigation. All that you have to do is present the evidence in court!"

"I'm sorry, Mia, you'll have to ask someone else. And if you'll excuse me, I have other things to attend to." Grossberg left the room, leaving Mia standing there, disheartened.

Diego stepped inside. "I think he's growing too old to take risks."

"Oh, Diego, I didn't realize you were here."

"And I didn't realize that you wanted to take on a new case," he raised an eyebrow.

She blushed slightly. "I'm not giving up on finding Dahlia, but I'm realizing how many criminals are going free…I can't just sit around and watch these innocent people be accused."

"You know that not every client is innocent, right?"

"I know. But I have faith in them. And if it turns out that they're guilty, then so be it. After all, it's our job to find the truth." She sighed in frustration, "I'm so useless…I'm just not ready to go back to court yet."

Diego felt her distress and took her hand comfortingly. "Did you ever consider asking me?"

She looked up at him, a smile breaking across her face, "Will you really do it?"

"You silly girl, of course I will."

In the following months, they continued their pursuit of Dahlia, but under Mia's insistence, took on some of the most hopeless and impossible cases Diego had ever seen throughout his career. Each time, Mia put all of her faith in their client, and Diego watched her, moved by her dedication and trust. She worked so hard finding suspects, witnesses and evidence, and Diego always thought it was a shame when she missed the culmination of all their work. But each time, Mia couldn't bring herself to re-enter the courtroom. Frustrated, she tried to convince Diego to force her, but he told her, "Kitten, there's no point in making another bad experience for yourself. I'm sure the time will come when you're ready again."

And it did. Many months later, when he wasn't able to witness it, she returned to the courtroom. In the end, that turned out to be one of the few things he was right about.

* * *

He sat down next to her on the park bench and handed her the cup of cappuccino she'd asked him to order.

"I think I'm going crazy, Diego."

He took a sip of his coffee. "Why?"

"I keep seeing hearts everywhere!" She handed him her cup and sure enough, the drizzled chocolate sauce on top resembled a lopsided heart.

"It's so weird," she continued. "I've actually been seeing them everywhere! Remember the fish fillet I had at the restaurant the other day? That looked like a heart."

"I thought it looked more like a really big nose," he laughed.

"That's because you were sitting across the table!" she protested. "And what about the slice of cheesecake I had for dessert? That was definitely a heart."

"Okay, fine. That one looked more like it."

"Even the lilies in front of the office are growing in the shape of a heart."

"We have lilies in front of the office?" he sounded puzzled.

"I think they were planted recently…But the point is, it's like hearts just pop up wherever I go."

"Maybe you're just in love," he smiled, kissing her cheek.

"But it's just so _weird_…it's like someone's been following me around and leaving hearts." She stared at her cappuccino thoughtfully. "Wait a second…" she turned to look suspiciously at Diego.

"What?" he shrugged innocently.

"It's been you all along, hasn't it? No wonder you always insist on making reservations!"

He smiled, surrendering, "I wish you could see the way your face lights up when you spot something." He reached over to lift the end on her scarf. Attached was a little heart pin.

"What?" Mia was flabbergasted. "How did you get that there without me knowing?"

He winked. "I just wanted you to know how much I love you."

* * *

They'd just finished visiting a witness in the hospital when they wandered to the baby ward on their way out.

"Look at that one in the middle! He's got the cutest ears!" Mia exclaimed with delight.

Diego laughed. "He looks like he's trying to dance."

"Aww, I think he's trying to wave at us. Hi, sweetheart!" She waved through the glass. The baby laughed and blew a spit bubble.

"So, Kitten," Diego said playfully, putting an arm around her, "how many kids are we going to have?"

"Oh? I don't remember you proposing," she replied in the same playful tone, crossing her arms.

"If I asked you right now, would you say yes?" he grinned slyly.

She made a mock-offended face. "Don't tell me that was your really bad proposal. Because if it was, I'm saying no."

He laughed. "Give me more credit than that, Kitten. There's no way I'd be so uncreative. Just you wait. You'll see then."

* * *

Every night, Mia went to bed and lay there, staring at the ceiling and imagining the vast stretch of night sky outside and the millions of twinkling stars. This night was no different, except that she was no longer imagining. Either that, or she was going crazy. Confused, she reached over the grab her phone and call Diego.

"Hi, Kitten. Didn't get enough of me today?"

"Diego, how and when did you break into my apartment and stick all these glow-in-the-dark stars on my ceiling?"

"Do you like them?"

"Well, yes, but _how did you get in_?"

"Simple. I was driving through your neighbourhood when I saw your sister walking home from the burger joint. I offered her a ride, and as we were talking, she inspired me to do this. Then she let me into your apartment. That's all."

"Why were you guys discussing glow-in-the-dark stars, of all things?"

"Maya said that you like spending summer nights under the stars. So that led me to think…"

"What?"

"The stars make you feel less lonely, don't they? You like the dark, but sometimes it reminds you of how lonely you are."

Mia was silent for a moment. "And you want me to remember that I'm not alone anymore," she smiled.

"You were never alone, Mia. No matter how far away people seem, they're still out there, thinking of you and watching out for you. Don't ever forget that."

"With these stars here, I don't think I ever will. And Diego?"

"Hmm?"

_You're the exception, right? You won't leave me too, will you? _Mia felt so childish thinking those words, but it was a fear that dominated her life.

"Never mind. It's nothing," she lied.

"Are you sure?"

"Don't worry about it, Diego," she reassured him. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Alright. Sweet dreams, Kitten."

* * *

Whenever they had a day off, Mia and Diego enjoyed strolling the streets of whatever area they stumbled upon. They ambled around, hand and hand, with no plans in mind but simply enjoying each other's company. That day, they were spending the day in an old rural neighbourhood, walking along the main street that was lined with quaint little old shops. Passing by a little bookstore, Mia pulled Diego inside with her and immediately immersed herself in a book about séances.

She laughed. "Look at what it says: _some people have been known to be so spiritually strong that they can call upon the spirits of dead trees and speak to them._ This is so ridiculous, it's funny." Mia glanced up to realize that she was talking to herself.

"Diego?" Mia put down the book and started down the aisle of shelves, her pace quickening. She pushed the shop door open and stepped outside. "Diego?" she called again, her voice suddenly childlike and thin. She felt a feeling of dread envelope her as she turned to see a street of unfamiliar faces. _It's okay. He just stepped out for a moment_, she tried to reassure herself as she filled with panic. _No, no, no, not again. This isn't happening again._ Mia looked around frantically and glimpsed a red shirt across the street. She had one foot out on the street when a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

"Mia! Watch where you're going!"

She spun around to face him, adrenaline still pulsing through her veins as she was flooded with relief. "Don't disappear on me like that!" The volume of her own voice surprised her. He seemed taken aback too.

"Kitten, why are you so upset?"

She pressed her hands against her face, trying to calm down. "I just have this irrational fear of losing everyone, okay? Especially you. Who knows what I'd do if I lost you too? Run myself into a car?"

Diego's face suddenly hardened. "Don't you dare do anything of the sort."

She looked at him, surprised at his change in tone.

"Promise me, Mia," his face was creased with trepidation. "Promise me that you'll never do anything self-destructive no matter what happens."

"Diego, you're overreacting."

"Just promise me, Mia."

"Okay, okay. But nothing's going to happen to you," she seemed to be reassuring herself rather than him. "We're going to be normal people and live happy, content and uneventful lives. I'm never going to lose you. We've both had enough tragedy as it is, so –"

He suddenly embraced her mid-rant, holding her tightly against him.

"No more of this tragedy nonsense, alright? I won't ever let anything else horrible happen to you." A voice in his head was urging him to tell her what he was planning, but without a doubt, she would never let him go alone. He had to admit that he felt slightly anxious about his upcoming meeting, but he told himself that as long as he was careful, things would be fine.

He shook the worrying thoughts from his head as he reached into his pocket. "This is what I disappeared for." He held out his hand. She took the object from him to inspect it. It was a small key chain of a sleeping kitten curled around a coffee mug.

"Do you like it?"

She smiled at him. "I love it. It's so perfect for us."

He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry for just walking out without letting you know. I saw this in a store we passed by earlier, and you were so engrossed in your book that I didn't think you'd notice if I stepped out for a moment."

"No, Diego, I'm sorry. I completely overreacted earlier."

"Kitten, there's no need for you to apologize. Besides, it's nice knowing how important I am to you," he smiled and kissed her forehead.

"You should have already known that."

"And you should know that I would never just leave you."

Mia smiled happily as she took Diego's hand. "I'm holding you to that promise, you know. So in fifty years when I'm old and wrinkly and you don't want me anymore, I won't let you go because you said that you would never leave me."

He slipped his arm around her waist as they started down the street. "I wouldn't leave you even if you took away coffee for all of eternity," he laughed.

And in those blissful moments on that beautiful day, all seemed right in the world.

* * *

**End Notes:**

Okay guys, I'm really irritated right now. I just learned that our FF document uploader does not allow for indents. Which I think is really, really dumb. Now it looks like I don't know how to paragraph, and all that text is so much easier to read when it's broken down with simple little indents. -sigh- Can we all petition for FF to add indents?

Enough complaining. I've decided that instead of taking up the usual space, I've put my end notes on my blog, and you can find the link in my profile under the "My Fanfics" section. Please take a look if you get the chance, because I explain/elaborate on a number of things in this chapter there. I've also posted a video that I found very inspiring, worth-watching and relate-able to this chapter, so please at least go for the video. (I was going to put the link directly here, but I don't know if that's allowed or not...)

As always, I'd love to hear your feelings about this chapter, and please drop by to say hi :) (And let me know if you find mistakes!)


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